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How Much Water Should You Drink Per Day?

How Much Water Should You Drink Per Day? Water to Drink is the second most popular beverage in the U.S. after soft drinks. This is a scary stat, since sugary soda is a huge health hazard, upping the risk of obesity, stroke, and other heart problems. However, these dangers can be avoided if people choose to drink water, which doesn’t have negative side effects

Everywhere around us we see people sipping bottled water. In healthy people, the fluid balance is strictly regulated via osmoregulation by the hormone vasopressin and the kidneys, in combination with the thirst mechanism and drinking. Fluid intake comes from food, metabolism, and beverages, including water. People lose fluid via the skin, respiration, fecal fluid and urinary output. The obligatory urine volume is determined by maximal renal concentrating ability and the solute load which must be excreted. Under normal circumstances of diet, exercise, and climate the minimal urine output for healthy subjects is about 500 ml/day. Intake of more than 500 ml of fluids per day will result in the excretion of solute-free water. The recommended total daily fluid intake of 3,000 ml for men and of 2,200 ml for women is more than adequate. Higher fluid intake does not have any convincing health benefits, except perhaps in preventing (recurrent) kidney stones.[rx]

Symptoms of Dehydration/Water to Drink

The urine will be dark yellow

The usual color of the urine should be light yellow-amber, and if you don’t have enough water, then the kidneys will excrete more waste in the urine like blood cells, toxins, and proteins that results in darker urine. The urine can be dark also when you consume some meds, beets, B-Vitamins, food coloring, asparagus, and blackberries. In case you notice changes in the color of your urine, you should increase the consumption of water and observe the color if it becomes lighter. If the urine stays darker for a longer period of time, then it may denote health problems like gallstones or hepatitis.

Your Urine Output is Reduced

Most people urinate between 6-7 times within a 24-hour period. When you don’t drink enough water, there is less fluid available to replace the fluids being excreted from the body. The kidneys attempt to retain as much fluid as possible to prevent dehydration. If you urinate less than 6 times a day, consider your water intake and increase if necessary.

Constipation

Lack of water in the body causes constipation. If you don’t drink enough water, your body will absorb water from wherever it can, including the colon. An insufficient amount of water in the large intestine will lead to harder stools. So, consuming a lot of water is important if you want to prevent or treat constipation.
Constipation can also be caused by physical inactivity, hypothyroidism, intestinal inflammation and dysbiosis, food sensitivities and stress.

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Your skin is dry and wrinkles are more defined

Dehydration can lead to an irritated, inflamed, itching and sensitive skin. In severe cases, the skin can even become red with cracks and bleeds. The lack of water also causes the appearance of wrinkles. So, you should drink more water to revitalize your skin.

Hunger and Weight Gain

Dehydration can cause your body to become confused and receive mixed signals about hunger. You may think you need to eat when really you just need water. This is how not drinking enough water can lead to overeating.

Thirst and Dry Mouth

Believe it or not, feeling thirsty for water is a sign that you are already slightly dehydrated. A dry mouth often occurs with thirst and signifies that the mucus membranes in the body need hydration. The only way to resolve thirst and a dry mouth is to drink water throughout the day.

Headaches

Not drinking enough water can cause the body absorb water from other tissues in order to compensate for the lack of the fluids. For this reason, the brain tissue loses some of its moisture and shrinks, pulling away from the skull, triggering the pain receptors and resulting in a headache. When you don’t consume enough water, the blood volume drops and then reduces the amount of oxygen which is carried in the brain. The blood vessels, in response to this, will dilate and the headache will intensify.

Fatigue

One study conducted in 2011 showed that mild dehydration can cause fatigue, lower energy, and tiredness. Once the body lacks water, the heart needs to work harder in order to push the oxygen and nutrients through the body, thus when you feel tired, skip our coffee, (it is dehydrating) and drink water. Water should not be substituted with soda, tea, coffee, and sports drinks.

You’re Experiencing Joint Pain

Water is extremely necessary to keep your bones and joints working properly. It helps nutrients move through your blood and into your joints, and it allows waste products to move out of your joints. Without water, your joints can become dry and rub together, causing pain.

Weak immune system

Dehydration can case an increase of toxin concentration in the blood and this can weaken the immune system. It is highly important to drink enough amounts of water in order to eliminate the toxins and help the immune system defend from infections.

Dietary reference intakes (adequate intakes) for total water set by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the Institute of Medicine (IOM)

	Adequate intake (L/day)
	EFSA [rx]		IOM [rx]
Age	Total water intake	Fluid intake^a	Total water intake	Fluid (beverage) intake)
0–6 months	0.68^b	0.68^b	0.70	0.70
6–12 months (IOM 7–12 months)	0.80–1.00	0.64–0.80	0.80	0.80
1–2 years	1.10–1.20	0.88–0.90
2–3 years	1.30	1.00
1–3 years			1.30	0.90
4–8 years	1.60	1.20	1.70	1.20
9–13 years
Boys	2.10	1.60	2.40	1.80
Girls	1.90	1.50	2.10	1.60
>14 years as adults
Boys	2.50	2.00	3.30	2.60
Girls	2.00	1.60	2.30	1.80
Adults
Men	2.50	2.00	3.30	2.60
Women	2.00	1.60	2.30	1.80
Pregnant women	+0.30		+0.30	0.10
Lactation women	+0.60 to 0.70		+1.10	0.90
Elderly	As adults	As adults	As adults	As adults

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^a80 % of total water intake; ^b through milk

The Institute of Medicine’s Water Intake Recommendations^*.

	Age (years)	Total Daily Water Needs^**	Total Fluid Intake Including Water
Children
	1–3	6c (1300mL)	4c (900mL)
	4–8	7c (1700mL)	5c (1200mL)
Adolescents
Males	9–13	10c (2400mL)	8c (1800mL)
Males	14–18	14c (3300mL)	11c (2600mL)
Females	9–13	9c (2100mL)	7c (1600mL)
Females	14–18	10c (2300mL)	8c (1800mL)
Adults
Males	19+	16c (3700mL)	13c (3000mL)
Females	19+	11c (2700mL)	9c (2200mL)

^*Adequate Intake (AI) for total water and total fluid intake including water in cups (c) and milliliters (mL). 1 cup = 8 fluid ounces; 1000mL = 33.8 fluid ounces.

^**Total water needs is the sum of plain drinking water and water from formulas, beverages, and foods consumed.

Health Benefits of Drinking water/Water to Drink

Fluid balance

Roughly 60 percent of the body is made of water. Drinking enough H2O maintains the body’s fluid balance, which helps transport nutrients in the body, regulate body temperature, digest food, and more.

Calorie control

Forget other diet tricks—drinking water could also help with weight loss. Numerous studies have found a connection between water consumption and losing a few pounds . The secret reason? Water simply helps people feel full, and as a result consume fewer calories.

Muscle fuel

Sweating at the gym causes muscles to lose water. And when the muscles don’t have enough water, they get tired . So for extra energy, try drinking water to push through that final set of squats.

Clearer skin

Certain toxins in the body can cause the skin to inflame, which results in clogged pores and acne . While science saying water makes the skin wrinkle free is contradictory, water does flush out these toxins and can reduce the risk of pimples.

Kidney function

Our kidneys process 200 quarts of blood daily, sifting out waste and transporting urine to the bladder. Yet, kidneys need enough fluids to clear away what we don’t need in the body. Let’s drink to that!

Productivity boost

In order to really focus, a glass of water could help people concentrate and stay refreshed and alert.

Fatigue buster

Move over coffee—water can help fight those tired eyes too . One of the most common symptoms of dehydration is tiredness. Just another reason to go for the big gulp!

Hangover help

If booze has got the best of you, help a hangover with a glass of water to hydrate the body and stop that pounding headache.

Pain prevention

A little water can really go a long way. Aching joints and muscle cramps and strains can all occur if the body is dehydrated .

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Keep things flowing

Nobody wants to deal with digestion issues. Luckily, drinking enough water adds fluids to the colon which helps make things, ahem, move smoothly.

Sickness fighter

Water may help with decongestion and dehydration, helping the body bounce back when feeling under the weather. Just beware—drinking fluids hasn’t been scientifically proven to beat colds in one swoop, so don’t swap this for a trip to the doctor or other cold remedies.

Brain boost

A study in London found a link between students bringing water into an exam room and better grades, suggesting H2O promotes clearer thinking. While it’s unclear if drinking the water had anything to do with a better score, it doesn’t hurt to try it out!

Increases Energy & Relieves Fatigue

Since your brain is mostly water, drinking it helps you think, focus and concentrate better and be more alert. As an added bonus, your energy levels are also boosted!

Promotes Weight Loss

Removes by-products of fat, reduces eating intake (by filling up your tummy if consumed prior to meals), reduces hunger (hello natural appetite suppressant!), raises your metabolism and has zero calories!

Flushes Out Toxins

Gets rid of waste through sweat and urination which reduces the risk of kidney stones and UTI’s (urinary tract infections).

Improves Skin Complexion

Moisturizes your skin, keeps it fresh, soft, glowing and smooth. Gets rid of wrinkles. It’s the best anti-aging treatment around!

Maintains Regularity

Aids in digestion as water is essential to digest your food and prevents constipation.

Boosts Immune System

A water guzzler is less likely to get sick. And who wouldn’t rather feel healthy the majority of the time? Drinking plenty of water helps fight against flu, cancer and other ailments like heart attacks.